Jose Andrade gold Uruguay winner's medal from the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930, designed by Abel Lafleur, inscribed COUPE DU MONDE, MONTEVIDEO, JU

Jose Andrade gold Uruguay winner's medal from the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930, designed by Abel Lafleur, inscribed COUPE DU MONDE, MONTEVIDEO, JUILLET, 1930, JOSE LEANDRO ANDRADE; sold with a Christie's South Kensington auction catalogue, 19th May 2005, where this medal was purchased as lot 18 (2) Jos? Leandro Andrade (November 22, 1901 - October 5, 1957) was a Uruguayan footballer who played at wing-half and was nicknamed ''Maravilla Negra'' the 'Black Marvel'. He is considered to have been one of the finest world footballers of his generation and was described as being an intelligent and honest player, who never celebrated his goals, and who was dynamic, fast and highly technical and a player who was able to dominate the pitch without despite not possessing the physicality of many of his opponents. Before turning to professional football, Andade held a number of jobs as diverse as a shoe-shiner to a carnival musician. In the early 1920s Andrade was signed by the Montevideo football Club Bella Vista where played 71 matches and scored seven goals. It was at Bella Vista that he was first selected for the national team. Andrade later moved to Nacional where he won four Uruguayan Championship titles and three national Cups. He was then transferred to Penarol in 1930 where he played 88 matches, before ending his career in Argentina with stints at Atlanta & Lanus-Talleres and a final return to Uruguay tp play for Wanderers. Jose Andrade had a magnificent international career and was a member of the great Uruguayan national team that won the gold medal in the football competition at the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 and again at Amsterdam in 1928. During the semi-final in Holland Andrade collided with a goal post seriously injuring an eye, which in time deteriorated to the point of blindness in that eye. The Uruguay team then went on to win the famous hat-trick by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy at the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930. At the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo Uruguay defeated arch-rivals Argentina 4-2. Andrade played in every Uruguayan match during the tournament. Andrade was an invited guest at the 1950 World Cup to witness his national team winning the World Cup for the second time, but sadly as the decade progressed he became an alcoholic and died in necessitous circumstances after contracting tuberculosis in Montevideo in 1957. Player's FIFA World Cup medals: Between 1930 and 1950 only footballers who played on the winning side in the final tie received a medal, struck in gold. From 1954 losing finalists received a silver-gilt medal, and the winning 3rd/4th play-off XI received a silver medal. From 1966 FIFA awarded the 4th placed team bronze medals. In 1974 a new trophy was introduced after Brazil were allowed to keep the original Jules Rimet Trophy having won it for a third time in 1970. The design of the FIFA World Cup medal, although it had minor stylistic changes over the years, was also replaced in 1974 with a new design by Bertoni. However they were still struck in gold, silver-gilt, silver & bronze for the 1st to 4th place teams. In 1978 FIFA increased the quantity of medals for the top 4 teams from 11 to 25, so for the first time squad players as well as the primary coaching staff would be suitably awarded. In 1986 the silver-gilt version was discontinued, the runners-up receiving instead a silver medal whilst both teams who contested the 3rd/4th Place match were awarded the bronze version. From 1990 onwards the story is one of ever increasing quantities of medal issues by FIFA with sufficient examples for presentation to those with duties beyond playing and coaching staff. At Italia '90 32 were struck with this figure rising to 40 at France '98, although they were now only awarded for the champions, runners-up & the winners of the 3rd/4th Place match, the loser of this game just receiving a diploma. Four years later in Korea/Japan the medal count rose to 45 for the 1st-3rd teams, with the 4th place side being presented with an unspecified ''award''. This continued in 2006 where for the first time match officials were also presented with medals, including those officiating the 3rd/4th Place play-off. In 2010 the FIFA medal count (excluding officials) reached a 'half century', and the number remained at 50 at the last World Cup in Brazil in 2014.